Painting assistant Daniel Haistings (left), a deaf employee at Valence Surface Technologies in Everett, laughs with painter trainer Robert Quinones using American Sign Language. Haistings is one of 10 deaf and hard-of-hearing employees at Valence. Quinones is hearing and knows sign language because his brother is deaf. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

On this noisy factory floor, deaf workers fit right in

Employees at Valence in Everett are learning sign language from their deaf co-workers.

Valence serves Boeing, Airbus, Sikorsky and other aerospace firms. Its finish work is part of the supply chain for the Boeing KC-46 aerial tanker, the Northrup Grumman B-21 long-range bomber and the Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter programs.

Every month, the company processes more than a million parts throughout its network, Glende said.

A tight labor market

In the past year or so, Valence’s Everett operation has added about 20 new employees, including 10 deaf workers. Entry-level workers earn $15 an hour to start.

Finding enough people to fill job openings in a tight labor market can be a challenge for any employer. When the unemployment rate dips below 4% — as it has this past year — the pool of job applicants gets smaller.

Daniel Haistings, who is deaf, and Human Resource Manager Jasmin Baker-Kinney use American Sign Language at Valence Surface Technologies in Everett. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

Valence isn’t the only Snohomish County employer with “Help wanted” signs on display.

Other local companies struggle to retain workers, despite competitive wages, benefits and profit-sharing.

Sign language interpreters have been hired to translate at weekly staff meetings, safety meetings and some one-on-one meetings.

“It works out to a few hours a week,” Baker-Kinney said.

“The costs that we have incurred, I don’t think it’s a whole lot more expensive than hiring temporary workers,” she said.

Turnover among disabled workers at Valence has been low. “They just want to do a good job,” Baker-Kinney said.

Valence plans to upgrade its fire alarm system to add flashing lights, but they were going to do that anyway, said Dan Hawkins, regional general manager at Valence.

All of the company’s training videos are now closed-captioned.

Communicating above the din

These days, while walking the shop floor at Valence, it’s difficult to tell who’s deaf and who isn’t. Deaf and hearing workers are signing to one another above the din.

Baker-Kinney completed her first year of American Sign Language studies at Everett Community College using the company’s education reimbursement perk.

She starts her second-year courses this fall. “I took sign language in high school. But bringing deaf employees into the workplace re-lighted that flame,” Baker-Kinney said.

“I’ve been with the company three years in October. This is kind of my proudest accomplishment, diversifying the workforce,” she said.

Having a good job, has made “a huge difference in our customer’s lives — many have never worked competitively or successfully,” said Bruckshen, the director of Washington Vocational Services. “We’ve worked with people that were living in a car. A job can change that. We get a lot of referrals from friends. They want what their friends have.”

In Washington, the labor participation rate — the percentage of adults who are working full-time or are looking for full-time work — is about 64 percent.

By comparison, the rate for deaf adults regionally and nationally is an estimated 40 percent, according to a recent study by Cornell University’s Yang-Tan Institute.

Why the gap?

Locally, some deaf workers lost their jobs when electronics manufacturers began moving operations oversees about 10 years go, Bruckshen said.

Another barrier is the perception that “it’s going to be expensive, making changes at the workplace,” she said.

“Accommodations can be a scary word,” Bruckshen. “It kind of freaks employers out a little bit, but there’s a lot that can be done inexpensively.”

“A $30 flashing light,” for example — “so that a deaf worker with a forklift license can do the job successfully.”

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees with disabilities, unless doing so would pose an undue hardship.

“Most accommodations we can do for under $10,” Bruckshen said.

“If it’s safety hazards they’re worried about, we can answer their questions. We can come in and do an assessment,” she said.

With the current labor shortage, “a lot more employers are inviting us to the table. There’s less hesitancy,” Bruckshen said.